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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26622703">i can hear you dreaming</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilnepp/pseuds/lilnepp'>lilnepp</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Long and Weary Request [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fairy Tail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, as fluffy as u ever did see, gajeel dreams of being a housewife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:33:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,919</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26622703</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilnepp/pseuds/lilnepp</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In all his overthinking, he almost missed it. </p><p>Holy shit, he thought. She’s sleep talking.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gajeel Redfox/Levy McGarden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Long and Weary Request [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i can hear you dreaming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gajeel laid on his back, hands clasped over his stomach, trying to relax on top of the plush bedding of the inn room. It wasn’t shabby, by any means; excessively luxurious if anything, from the layered flowing curtains to the tiered mini-chandelier. It was far too gauche for his usual tastes, but that was what he deserved for asking Erza about reputable stays in far away towns, and having her organise it.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">It was well into the middle of the night, but Gajeel couldn’t sleep. His eyes stung when he tried to close them, over-stimulated and awake despite his current lethargic demeanour and a burgeoning headache. There wasn’t even anything to stay awake for, and yet his body wouldn’t allow him the grace of even a below-average rest. His mind raced with information as he recalled the weary day he’d had. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">First, of course, Lily had him up before sunrise to meet up with Levy and catch a charter train halfway across Fiore, and if the late motion-sickness wasn’t enough to deal with, she was energetically explaining the request she’d picked out for them to do. At that point, it had been ‘in one ear and out the other’, but he at least pretended he’d been listening.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">“It’s a translation request, technically, but the text is highly coveted and the holding facility has had some attempted thefts over the last couple of weeks. So we’ll be playing bodyguard while the officials investigate what they think might be the second part to the text in a neighbouring town. If they’re correct, they’re willing to pay more for us to stay longer, because they’ll need that translated too. They think it has something to do with rarer lacrimas and how they were used historically...” </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">Gajeel’s stomach begun to twist uncomfortably as the train lurched out of the fifth stop, and he suddenly wished that he had seen Wendy before heading to the station. Of course, that’s what Levy told him, too, but considering they almost missed the single train that operated on the route they needed, neither party dwelled on it for too long.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">Except now. </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">Levy’s hand waved lithely in front of Gajeel’s eyes, her face deadpan as he came back to reality.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">“Did you hear any of that? That last part was really important!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">“‘Course I heard you. I was lookin’ at you, wasn’t I?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">“She said that there have been repeat attempts from a dark guild to steal the text.” Lily shook his head. Levy gave him a scratch around the ears as thanks for repeating what she had said, and he leaned into her palm, soaking up the affection. Affection that Gajeel scoffed and rolled his eyes at; out of jealousy? Of course. But would he admit that? No way.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">“I know. Because I heard ya.” He grumbled, crossing his arms and sitting back in the cramped booth, forcing Levy to push her legs towards the </span>
    <span class="s3">window.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">“But... really, Gajeel. We can’t afford to mess this up, this is a 14,000,000 jewel payout.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The phrase bounced around in his head, and he closed his eyes, imagining what he could do with that kind of money. He could buy a bigger bed. More blankets. Fine metal. A new place, somewhere nice. Sure, it was getting split two ways, but 7,000,000 jewels was still plenty. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He could even treat Levy to something - it’s not like he was exactly carrying the mission this time around, and hey, the shrimp deserved something nice for simply putting up with him. A book would be too predictable, and it would be likely that she already owned whatever he bought for her. Girls liked jewellery, right? Would Levy like jewellery? Earrings? Or a necklace? </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gajeel snapped himself out of it. Why bother spending that kind of money when he could just make it for her himself? He was no stranger to bracelets, or cuffs at the very least. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">Cuffs. His iron around her tiny wrists, like a big sign that told others that she was his, and to stay away. He could definitely manage that. </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Feeling his heartbeat pick up, Gajeel snapped himself out of it again. She was a teammate, a friend, and nothing more. Even if by some miracle his feelings were requited, he would have no idea how to go about it all - and it wasn’t highly likely, in his opinion, that she would return or even acknowledge those feelings to begin with. Despite some blurred lines in the past, she would probably think it was embarrassing that he had a crush on her, that he’d misread some signals that were clearly strictly platonic. He was a blunt brute with an attitude problem and no consideration for others, who didn’t think highly of himself. He was a waste of space and air. She was strong but delicate, powerful and intelligent, kind but assertive. Levy deserved someone to match. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Realising he was tensing his muscles and jaw, Gajeel relaxed them and turned onto his side. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Damn head,” Gajeel muttered through gritted teeth, flinging one arm out so that it hung over the edge of the bed, and the other rested on the space in between. He thought about Erza’s obliviousness to the situation, which meant that he and Levy had been put in two separate rooms. He would probably sleep better knowing she was somewhere in the room. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Laying silently, he felt his pulse return to normal, and he was glaring absentmindedly at the wall ahead when he first heard it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">It was a soft sound, a small, content hum, and it was like he was seeing stars. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Looking around the room for Pantherlily, he realised that the cat was fast asleep over by the window seat, curled up and tucked in. The pitch was far too high to be his voice, anyway. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gajeel knew her room was right next door, but he had no idea that their beds were back-to-back. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He sat up, ears listening keenly. Gajeel put one ear to the wall, hearing nothing but his own breathing for a moment before he heard an incomprehensible mutter, just barely reaching his hearing. He closed his sore eyes, squinting them shut as he focused, attuning his hearing to the sounds on the other side of the wall.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">At first, there was silence again, but as Gajeel put more effort into listening, he started to pick up the sounds of her breathing. Deep and and slow, he could tell she was either intensely focused on something or dead asleep. Her heartbeat came next, steady and calm, and he presumed it was the latter. Every thump of her tiny heart felt like a personal love letter to him, signed, sealed and delivered with a soft murmur from her chest. He smirked, ever so slightly, because Gajeel didn’t smile, as he listened to her song of sleep. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He imagined her, blankets strewn around and wearing nothing but underwear and a button-up shirt, tangled up in the centre of the bed. He fell for the idea of tucking her in, curling around her and holding her, protecting her until she woke up. Of brushing her blue locks off of her face while she slept. Of watching her, completely at peace, dreaming as if it were the only thing she knew how to do. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">A sharp twinge of guilt and realisation struck his chest and gut, and Gajeel pulled away from the wall for a moment. How could he do that to himself? To her? To let himself get lost in a future that wouldn’t exist? To be so selfish as to take her away, all for himself? </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">In all his overthinking, he almost missed it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">Holy shit,</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s2"> he thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s3">She’s sleep talking</span>
    <span class="s2">. </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Putting his ear back against the wall, he caught one single word, one single mutter. It was soft and sleepy, and her voice was like a smooth velvet.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“... Lily.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s3">The cat?!?</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Furrowing his brow, he looked towards Lily, fast asleep on the window seat. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“... stay together... and... hot... feast...” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Her words become more incomprehensible the more she spoke, but it turned out that Levy was quite the sleep talker. They’d shared tents and rooms and even a bed before (of course, the pair stuck to their respective edge of the bed, not daring to move lest they bumped or grazed the other), but Gajeel had never noticed or heard anything like this before. It endeared him, and he took mental note of as many phrases as he could so that he could tease her about it later. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Don’t go... needed... one more... page of it...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“She said... whatever that means... little cat.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Keep it... don’t lose it... belonged... Mom.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">That one in particular piqued Gajeel’s interest. Levy had never spoken about any parents or family; maybe she had been orphaned like him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gajeel...” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Sitting up straighter at the sound of his own name passing through her soft lips, Gajeel’s usually unwavering heart picked up slightly. She was </span>
  <span class="s3">dreaming</span>
  <span class="s2"> about him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Just... over there... some day...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">His mind raced irrationally, racking his brain for an explanation. Moving in together? Buying a house? A future? He imagined the pair of them and Lily, carrying boxes full of books and clothes, he and his cat moving a couch, he and Levy trying to assemble flat packed furniture, arguing about him eating the screws. The three of them sitting together on a hardwood floor, eating the first meal in their new house - probably something that Lily and Levy would have organised; Gajeel didn’t care much for grocery shopping. He fantasised about building her a grand library, a big space that he could work on just out the back. He imagined laying his head on her lap in front of a fireplace, soaking up the warmth of the licking flames and her nimble fingers working gently through his hair. He imagined painting an extra room, a crib...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gajeel was so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear the first few knocks on his door. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Realising he had let his mind wander too far, he sat up completely, internally berating himself. His thoughts were selfish, inconsiderate; she had her own life to live, and she wasn’t going to live in his domestic fantasies. And what kind of a wimp was he, anyway? Fantasising about living a domestic life as if he weren’t at one point a vicious villain, or a powerful dragon. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He got up to open the door after three more gentle knocks. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Expecting to see the shrimp, Gajeel was confused when he saw Lily, looking up at him exasperatedly.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">”Gajeel, I have been knocking for three minutes.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Lily? How’d you get out there?” Gajeel scratched his head, looking between the now empty window spot and the cat in front of him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I haven’t been home yet. I’ve been out all evening collecting information about these supposed attacks. Is something the matter?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">An uneasy feeling worked its way into the pit of Gajeel’s stomach. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You’re not pulling my leg here, are you, cat? You’ve really been out all night?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Indeed.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The window didn’t have any glass, so to speak; it was imbued with a magic that let fresh air and light breezes filter in, but filtered bugs and pests out. The only thing that could pass through were people and animals. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hmm,” Gajeel began, deciding to replace the feeling of uncertainty with something more akin to determination.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We should check on Lev. This request is going to be more interesting that I thought.” </span>
</p>
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